


The Scars That Heal with Time

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alive!Sirius (Compliant with AU), Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, EWE, Eventual Neutral!Harry, Humor, M/M, Romance, Sane Voldemort (Compliant with AU), Time-Travel AU, wrong bwl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-04 12:47:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4138113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry makes the notorious decision of going back into time in order to fix things. However, what he didn't expect was for Time to physically reject him and launch him into a world uncannily like his own- except, not quite. For one, he would never understand how on earth Tom Riddle managed to end up as the Minister of Magic, no matter how strange the circumstances are...</p><p>DISCLAIMER : I don’t own any rights to Harry Potter. Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling, and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment/personal purposes only.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE - How the Boy with Green Eyes Came to Be

**_"Infatuation_ ** _is when you find somebody who is absolutely perfect._

**_Love_ ** _is when you realize that they aren’t and it doesn’t matter.”_

_-Unknown_

* * *

Surrounded in darkness with a broken ankle with a really shit case of bed-head was not exactly how the young wizard planned to start his retribution to the saving of the Wizarding world.

The walls around him shook slightly; his magic twisting around the cages like poisonous vines. Grumbling slightly, the bespectacled youth shuffled around uncomfortably.  _Save the world_ , they said.  _It'll be fun,_  they said.  _Harry you can't casually mention you're traveling back in time to stop Voldemort at the dinner table and give Mrs. Weasley a heart attack while serving dinner_ , Hermione said. He grinned at the particular memory; the Weasley matriarch had rightfully panicked and nearly sent a bowl of mash potatoes flying into poor Ginny's face.

After the initial shock (and some screaming) later, Hermione begin to explain her ingenious plan to the others. The concept was simple; travel back into time, and put an end to snake-face before his reign-of-terror via pretentious purebloods could even begin. The planning that came next, however, were not so easy to deal with. After countless nights spent cooped up in the Black family library, coffee - and caffeine in general - became Harry's new best friend. (Of course, it still went without saying that Hermione was the one doing most of the work.)

In the end, they went with the modified time-turner option. It had been easy enough getting Tonks to sneak into the department and retrieve it for them. (Thought mostly, it was thanks to Kingsley that the young auror went unpunished.) Hermione had explained to him in detail how time-turner 2.0 worked, but all he had been able to pick up through the hazy fog of long overdue fatigue was something about an extension charm and resistibility to any destructive energies they might encounter during the journey that could accidentally shift the desired destination. Harry wondered idly if coffee had any negative effects in terms of one's ability to concentrate.

The first few months of the war had been alarmingly loud. Obnoxious and all up-in-your-face type thing. Neutral families disappeared from Europe faster than sweets from Honeyduke shelves. The concern and paranoia that hung over their heads were almost unbearable. No one wanted to wake up to the reveal of yet another Death Eater attack and warning for all families to stay indoors and keep their wards up day and night. The most terrifying part, though, came next.

Dead silence.

Diagon Alley was almost constantly empty, with more shops closed than open. The few ones who dare venture the once-popular hub for witches and wizards were always in a rush, hands snaking the way to their wands, casting wary glances behind them - as if the Dark Lord himself would come suddenly snooping in, the unmistakable green shade of the Killing Curse flashing right before their own eyes.

The last straw had been when Hogwarts closed down during July. The Golden Trio had been heartbroken, knowing that there was a very small chance that they would ever get to see the Castle that had been their home for nearly a decade again. The Order had not been much of a success, seeing as the death of Dumbledore was taking a toll on the hope of its members greatly. It was then when Hermione, the ever-brilliant witch she is, confronted Harry and practically demanded cooperation. What she didn't expect, was how far he was willing to go in order to save whatever family he had left. For months, they planned every detail. And today, they would finally put it into action.

Despite the considerable amount of precautions they took, there was always a probability that Harry wouldn't return to see another day in the world he grew up in. If that were to be the case, then there was also a probability that neither Ron or Hermione would remember him even if he were to make the trip back in time.

So basically, he was going to risk everything he's managed to accomplish for the sake of defeating one red-eyed son of a bitch.

Bring it on.

 


	2. Into Wonderland

_"If you love something, set it free. If it doesn't come back, it probably died of sadness because it thought you loved it."_

_-Welcome to Night Vale_

* * *

_"What do you mean I'm going to be fraternizing with the future Dark Lord Voldemort?" Harry muttered angrily, his precious coffee spilling over the cup and dribbling onto one of the many priceless tomes regarding Ancient Runes found in the infamous Black family library._

_"Careful!" The hazel-haired witch hissed, swiping the book away from the caffeine-crammed teen. "Harry, that's a priceless relic you're slobbering all over! And you're not going to be_ ** _fraternizing_**   _with him! You're only going to be getting close enough so that he'll let his guard down around you... Which, I suppose, is a form of fraternization, yes. But that's so not the point! Oh- for heavens sake!_ _ **Put down the coffee already**  _ _!"_

 _"Oh hell no! And besides, he's the Dark Lord, Hermione. The day he lets his guard down around_ anyone _is the day he joins the light side and 'Dumbledore's Order of the Flaming and Overrated Chicken', as Malfoy kindly put it." Harry snorted, earning a disapproving glance from Hermione. The two of them were rather on edge after nearly two sleepless nights in a row. Ron had fallen asleep a few hours prior, and had been dragged off to bed by one rather irked Charlie Weasley. It was rare that the two of them got to see any of the Weasleys- Ron included- during these dark days. Ron had insisted on joining the Order, despite Hermione and Harry choosing to operate solo. (Or well, two-person type solo. They_ did _make a great team, after all.)_

 _"Don't listen to_  Malfoy _, Harry." Hermione sighed, stealing a sip from Harry's cherished cup of coffee, which earned her a glare from her irritated best friend. "You know he's just a pretentious stuck-up ferret with no real friends. What does he know about Tom Riddle, anyway?"_

* * *

"This was not supposed to happen." Harry muttered darkly, shooting the very much unwanted visitor a somber and defiant glare.

"The same could be said about your birth, but yet, here we are." Time smirked knowingly, not at all bothered by the venomous look that radiated off the teen in waves of anger. "Wizards never stop meddling in things they oughtn't to be, do they?"

"I'm not meddling. Now, if you'll excuse me, er, please  _excuse_   _me_  so that I can continue my journey." Blue eyes clashed angrily with green ones.

"You have no idea what you're about to unleash. Now turn around, before it's too late." The threat echoed around the empty void, shaking the ground beneath him. Harry gritted his teeth angrily. There had been no signs that anything like this was going to occur. According to Hermione, 'Time' was an abstract idea, one that could be manipulated by will. A very strong will, but well, Harry pretty much figured he'd deal with that one later. Apparently for once in her life, the bright-minded girl had been wrong.

Time was very much a real, living... thing - and an asshole-ish one at that. He had only been half-way through his journey before abruptly interrupted by one very rude and pissed-off guardian. So much for a smooth trip.

"What are you going to do, then? Send me back to the time I came from?" There was no doubt that the Guardian would not allow him to travel back any further - and it was goddamn near impossible to try to navigate whatever hellish dimension he was in without help. For one, it was darker than Snape's billowing robes in here.

"I make no promises." Time shrugged. "The damage has been done. Believe it or not, even outside the mortal planes, time still passes. At a very different rate, I'm sure- but it still exists." The Guardian smirked. "I'm here after all, aren't I? I guess you could say... This place simply isn't  _timeless_." Groaning at the horrible pun, Harry shook his head. "Anyway, what I'm trying to get at here, is that you've done irreparable damage. You can't just return and pretend nothing has happened. It doesn't work that way."

"Then how in the Merlin's beard am I supposed to get back?"

"You're not."

"Wha-" As he prepared to launch into his barricade of angry protests, the floor beneath him begun to sunk away like quicksand, smothering him in a void of darkness, and tenderly easing him into the gentle allure of sleep and unconsciousness. The last thing Harry managed to see were the knowing grin of one very emotionally-upsetting Guardian asshole.

_'Not yet.'_

* * *

Much to his relief, he was no longer trapped in endless blackness when he finally arrived back into consciousness.  _God, it was like being choked by Snape's disgusting robes_. Not that he particularly appreciated the blinding sunlight, though. Rolling onto his stomach, the teen rubbed his eyes tiredly.  _What was Time even talking about? Where was he_? Looking around, Harry was almost a bit surprised to find his surroundings relatively normal.

 _No purples trees. That's got to be a good sign_. Blinking warily, he adjusted his glasses and sat up. Soft and vivid green grass shimmered under the warm sunlight, swaying gently to the summer breeze. The lake lay beneath the hilltop he currently resided on, next to what appeared to be a meadow. In fact, the whole scene seemed pretty serene and peaceful.

Until the panic set in.

_Oh Merlin._

The first thought that registered Harry's currently rabid mind was that Hermione was going to  _kill_  him. And then revive him. Just to kill him all over again. The second thought was that Ron was going to kill him. And then make Hermione revive him. So that  _Ron_  can kill him again.

The second thought was that,  _man,_  he was screwed. This year, he didn't even have to go to Hogwarts to get into some serious shit. But again, knowing that Hogwarts had closed down before he got the chance to ruin his own life, it did make sense Fate spent extra effort into screwing him over this time.

As he attempted to stand up, he immediately found that his ankle was very much broken, and it was very much extremely painful. He winced as the burning sensation shot through his shin and up his leg.

 _Well_ , then. Fun in the sun it is, then.

Harry wasn't sure how long he ended up sitting by the quiet hills, pondering how the heck he was going to get himself out of the mess this time around. If only he had his wand - Hermione hadn't allowed him to bring his wand out of the fear of having it damaged during the trip - which would cause his poor eleven year-old self to never find it and consequently be shunned by the entire wizarding society because his seventeen year old went back in time to buy it decades before tiny Harry had a chance to go into that shop. Heartbreaking. Just as the sun was about to drift below the horizon, help miraculously arrived.

Help, in the form of one eccentric blonde with radish earrings and an overly bright sense of fashion.

God, he loved Luna and her strange but perfectly timed appearances. (Well, not  _perfectly_. He  _had_  been sitting in terrain for a couple of hours. She could've arrived a tad bit earlier. Not that he was complaining. Nope.)

"Luna! LUNA! Oh Merlin, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!" Harry grinned, waving his arms around rather frantically like a lunatic.

"Hello, Harry. It's pleasant to see you as well." She smiled kindly, tucking a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear. "I followed the Wrackspurts. You're rather full of them, you know. You should get someone to check that out." Harry let out a breathe he didn't know he was holding.

"You still recognize me. Good." At this, Luna only smiled and nodded politely. "I was afraid you wouldn't."

"Oh, don't be silly, Harry! I would still recognize you even if you were covered in Nargles and tripped head-first into a jar of tar. You're just unique that way. Besides, your hair isn't that different." The petite girl hummed pleasantly, twirling a daisy between her fingers.

"Er, right. Yeah. I suppose. Thanks? Wait, my wha-" Luna shot him another smile, one which Harry timidly returned. While Luna Lovegood had obviously been one of his closer friends during school, it always took a while to get used to the peculiar girl after months of separation. Not to mention he obviously didn't know  _this_  Luna. He didn't even know what universe he was in, for merlin's sake, much less how the people he 'knew' were different.

But that could wait.

"Hey Luna... You wouldn't happen know any good bone-healing charms, would you? Or a maybe own a hair brush?"

_Like he said, he really didn't want to start avenging the Wizarding World with a broken ankle and a really shit case of bed-head._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanting to update as soon as I could - sorry for any mistakes that I've made! I have a vague idea of where this story is going, but any suggestions are still welcome.
> 
> As for Harry's strange obsession with coffee, well, let's just say I'm in a similar situation myself (sweats nervously) Summer time has arrived and I no longer have control over my life or sleep schedule
> 
> ha ha.
> 
> help me
> 
> (Also, ignore the strange quote I put there. It sort of fits, it sorts of doesn't... yeah...)


	3. An Eye for an Eye, Where the Hell Am I?

_"They say if the_ **_eye_ ** _does not_ **_see_ ** _, the heart does not grieve, but if he can't see me and I can't see him, why does that hurt me?"_

_-Dominic Riccitello_

* * *

_"_ **_Grindelwald_ ** _?!" The furious teen choked out. "What do you mean Grindelwald's alive?" His outburst had earned him yet another reprimanding gaze from the brunette witch sitting across from him._

_"Well, of course he is, Harry. His reign over the wizarding world took place when Tom Riddle was in school." Hermione frowned slightly. "But don't worry. He's not going to be a problem. As far as we know, Hogwarts was not in any particular danger, even during the Dark Era itself. What I'm saying is, don't let the war be a distraction to you and create more inconveniences, Harry."_

_"Whatever." He scoffed. "Knowing it's me, he'll find a way to be_ **_the_ ** _inconvenience."_

* * *

**_March 13th, 1996_ **

"So…" Harry trailed off, looking up at the girl smiling at him from across the table. "Er, where am I, exactly?" Having spotted Luna, he'd subconsciously drawn the conclusion he was not far away from Hogwarts, or at least England. Apparently, he'd landed in a completely different place in Europe altogether. That much was given when the first person he saw other than Luna attempted to converse with him in French. (Which ended very abruptly and unsuccessfully.)

" _Cote d'Azur._  French Riviera. You're very lucky to have landed here. Isn't the view simply beautiful?" Luna commented idly, taking a small sip of her iced tea. Harry did agree with that; not only did he managed to somehow find a friend, the view was indeed quite stunningly beautiful. The calming sea did wonders in terms of soothing his nerves; Harry had resolved to visit France more often, as soon as he got himself out of whatever hole he'd been dragged into this time.

Luna had insisted bringing Harry to the resort she and the rest of her family were staying at. Much to Harry's relief and surprise, Luna's mother, Pandora, was still alive in this timeline. Of course, this meant that the timeline he was currently residing in was obviously  _not_  his own.

_Well, shit._

At least the arrangements had been made. With the help of Luna and her father Xenophilius (who had obviously been overjoyed at the fact his daughter made a friend), the Ministry of Magic in France was to sent out an International Portkey at the earliest convenience for Harry, bringing him back to London hopefully by next Monday. Thanking the eccentric family of three profusely, he'd reclined their offer to stay with them and instead opted to stay at an inn for the night.

"Wait, you mean you've never been to Hogwarts?" Needless to say, Harry had been quite surprised to learn that Luna had barely travelled out of France before, much less go to Hogwarts when he began to inquire about his school. "Then, do you study at Beauxbatons?"

"No. My mum home-schools me. She's a brilliant professor, Harry.  _She_ went to Beauxbatons, though. Though, she never really liked it. Must be all the Dabberblimps."  _What the fuck was a Dabberblimp_?!

"Wait, then how did we even meet if you never left France?"

"You fell in a field, remember? You had a broken ankle, and I was picking daisies." Luna hummed.

_Right._

_"_ But you recognized me!"

"Of course I did, Harry. I told you; I would still recognize you even if you were covered in Nargles and tripped head-first into a jar of tar. Remember?"

Well, that answered  _absolutely nothing_.

* * *

Five hours of excruciatingly difficult conversation later left Harry was the conclusion that nothing in this world ever made sense. For one, while Luna had no recollection of ever meeting him prior to his little trip (literally) through time, she had recognized him immediately. Two, Grindelwald was still alive and there were not a single whisper of who Voldemort is. (When he mentioned the name to Luna, she replied with "bless you") While that would've been expected if Harry had actually gone back through time, there was absolutely no reason for him to still be alive  _today_.

Third, he still had no idea why the Lovegood family lived in France rather than England. Luna mentioned something about the first Wizarding War, but her father had protested that never even happened.

Leaning his back against the creaking wooden headboard, Harry sighed. Gently blowing a thick lock of wavy black hair out of his tired eyes, the young wizard was now more troubled than ever. Would anyone besides Luna even recognize him? Harry wasn't so sure. And even if by some miraculous chance that Hermione and Ron still knew of him, something was bound to be different. Did Voldemort even attack Hogwarts? Questions swirled around his head, like waves, crashing upon one another.

Feeling rather isolated and out of place, Harry proceeded to push his doubts out of his mind and instead opted for a walk by the sea. Hopefully, the tides can just drown him right there and then.  _At least Hermione can't yell at him if he was at the bottom of the ocean… right?_ Harry thought, conventionally forgetting the fact Hermione would be yelling at him  _because_  he was in the bottom of the ocean.

The shrill of seagulls echoes vibrantly against the splashing waves - a sea of darkness that Harry wished would just hurry up and swallow him already. He didn't have time for any of this. He had been in the middle of fighting a war, and now suddenly he's in the middle of nowhere. (Well, the Southeast corner of France, but, still. It was 'middle' enough for Harry, who's sense of geography has always been astoundingly horrible.) In fact, he didn't even have Ron's support or Hermione's ever-comforting smartness to help him this time around.

He was all alone.

"Oi, watch where you're going!" Hearing the all-too-familiar sneer, Harry turned around and met with the sight of concrete-grey eyes practically burning into his skull and hair that looked abnormally well-kept.

Well, at least he  _thought_  he was all alone.

* * *

 **A/N:**  Yes my rich trash baby has shown up and Harry shall no longer be a sad little chicken all is well.

Also, I've given up on the quotes completely. Whatever. Ignore me.


	4. Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, Catch a Ferret by the Toe.

_ “We are thickly layered, **page** lying upon **page** , behind simple covers. And love - it is not the book itself, but the binding.” _

  _-Deb Caletti_

* * *

" _I don't think I was sorted right.” Hermione looked up from her textbook, a subtle frown framing her tired features._

_ “Harry, what are you on about-“ _

_"I mean, is this really the act of a Gryffindor? Hiding away, while everyone else is fighting the bloody war going on?” Harry grumbled softly, the gentle glow of the swaying candlelight reflecting the unease written so clearly upon his face. “And how long has Ron been gone for? Weeks, months? What kind of friends are we, letting him go out there? Alone?” Hermione flinched, looking away guiltily. _

_"I- There was nothing we could do. He chose to join the Order-“ _

_“So what, he should be risking his life to fight a war that shouldn’t be his?” _

_“Harry!” Hermione gasped, affronted. “Please don’t tell me that’s what this is about.” She sighed, placing her hand gingerly on top of his. “First of all, it’s not your war. Voldemort’s after more than your miserable and most likely incredibly painful death. You shouldn’t worry.” _

_“Thanks.” Harry replied sarcastically. _

_“And,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Ron writes almost every week, and Professor- I mean, Remus visits by the floo every once in a while too, doesn’t he? He always clues us in on the progress of the Order, and the war. I’d like to be there for Ron as much as you do, but it’s not like we’re idly dawdling about and taking walks in parks either.” _

_“I suppose you’re right.” _

_“I always am.” Hermione grinned, watching Harry burst into laughter abruptly, nearly choking on his own coffee. _

_"_ _ Might want to watch your ego there, ‘Mione. If you were even a tiny bit more arrogant, you could’ve passed as an honorary Malfoy.” _

* * *

Hermione Granger was a girl who believed strictly in logistics and proven information. Of course, once in a while, one had to take the leap of faith and simply hope for the best. This was one of those cases.

For the first 10 years of her life, the young and brilliant-minded girl was always the observer. She could take in information and work magic (no pun intended) with it like no other. One in a million, they would say. She was always a firm believer in the fact that the best way to approach a problem was to thoroughly research it beforehand. Then, of course broomsticks and giant snakes happened, and basically that went straight out the window.

After having the research process of apparently one of the greatest wizards in History take several months to complete, well, things tended to just happen as they… happen.

“‘Mione!” The familiar voice echoing from the floo brought the brunette witch out of her thoughts momentarily. Frowning at the detected urgency, she hurriedly rushed into the next room.

“ _Ron_? Are you-” Immediately, she was greeted by a mop of ginger hair and six feet worth of lanky weirdness accompanied by a freckled grin that stretched ear to ear practically flying out from the fireplace. “Ron! You scared me!”

“Sorry. Er, I just, haven’t seen you in a while.” He muttered sheepishly. “So, where’s Harry? Didn’t forget about me already, did he?” Hermione blinked, holding back a small smile. Despite Ron’s cheeriness, it was obvious he was concerned about his other best friend.

“No, of course not! Harry’s away.” Hermione replied cryptically, a smile gracing her features for the first time in what seemed like forever. “…Away. Like, away, _away_.” Ron frowned, blinking owlishly.

“Yes. ‘ _Away, away’,_ Ron. I think you’ll be very interested regarding the latest update concerning our little ‘project’. I’ll tell you all about it over tea.” She said. Unable to hold back a grin, she ushered the confused redhead into the living room.

If all went well, there would be no need for battles or sleepless nights. In fact, there never would be any to begin with. 

* * *

At times like this, Harry idly wondered if Life hated him. The whole Dark Lord hunting him down and trying to kill him every year didn’t really help with the case. Neither does his parents dying when he was a baby and the fact that all everyone ever talks about ever (besides the whole Voldemort shit) was how much he looked like them. _Way to bring up the childhood trauma and depressing thoughts, thanks._

Also, he was _way_ too short.

That also really sucked.

However, none of that even compared (except the Voldemort thing. Gets him every time.) to the difficulty of not turning around and running the hell away from the collected silver gaze that was _probably attempting to burn a fucking hole in his head right this moment._ Honestly, he was not prepared to face his second biggest arch-nemesis after just hitting a new low emotionally.

“For gods sake, if you leave your mouth hanging like that any longer, flies would start flying in. Or should I say, flying _out._ ” He smirked. _So maybe that translation charm was a bad idea_. Though, Harry thought it was better than not understanding and looking even more like an idiot.

But _ouch_.

“…What did I ever do to you?” Okay, so maybe his comebacks could use some work, too. Malfoy looked slightly taken aback at the comment, and then immediately proceeded to look awkward and mildly abashed.

“Nothing, I guess. Except, well, _crashing into me_. I told you to watch where you were going!”

“I didn’t. I grazed you. Like, collided mildly with you.” Harry sniffed, turning his nose upwards ever-so-slightly in an attempt to appear as if he were looking down upon his (ex)-rival. (Though in reality, he looked more like an pissed toddler.)

Again with the height disadvantage; seriously?

Malfoy sneered, his eyebrow arching slightly, and Harry nonchalantly pondered if he was seriously intimidated by an _eyebrow,_ of all things.  “You _collided_ with me. Collided, as in how the moon would collide with the sun and we would all die, then, yes. Collided would be the term to use.”

“Gee, look at you! All those muggle and science-y references.” Harry seethed, rolling his eyes.

_Wait._

_Oh shit._

Malfoy didn’t recognize him. Which meant he didn’t know Harry was a wizard, which also meant Harry wasn’t supposed to know _he_ was a wizard. Mentally groaning, he did his best to try and ignore what was just mentioned (and consider distracting the other boy with a rock to the head or maybe a fist to the face) but somehow, after meeting with the furious glare of a Malfoy, Harry didn’t really think that would work.

Life _definitely_ hated him.

* * *

**A/N:** Gah, I'm sorry I took a while to update. I'm really tired and Archive isn't really working right now (If you're wondering why some of them say author's note and others have an actual Chapter Note)

（　´∀｀）☆


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